The Ahouerhopiheim Indians: History and Linguistic Origins
Published: 1976
Updated: February 25, 2021
In the latter part of the seventeenth century, according to records of the La Salle expedition, the Ahouerhopiheim (Abonerhopiheim, Ahonerhopiheim) Indians occupied an inland area somewhere north of Matagorda Bay, probably near the Colorado River or between the Colorado and Brazos rivers. Although this name has passed into American Indian literature, there is some question about its accuracy. There is some evidence that on Henri Joutel's original manuscript two names appeared, Ahouergomahe and Kemahopiheim, and that a printer, through error, manufactured a hybrid name, using the first and last parts of these names respectively. The linguistic and cultural affiliations of the American Indians bearing these names remain unknown.
Bibliography:
Isaac Joslin Cox, ed., The Journeys of René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (2 vols., New York: Barnes, 1905; 2d ed., New York: Allerton, 1922). Frederick Webb Hodge, ed., Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico (2 vols., Washington: GPO, 1907, 1910; rpt., New York: Pageant, 1959). Henri Joutel, Joutel's Journal of La Salle's Last Voyage (London: Lintot, 1714; rpt., New York: Franklin, 1968).
Categories:
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
Thomas N. Campbell, “Ahouerhopiheim Indians,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed March 09, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/ahouerhopiheim-indians.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
TID:
BMA12
- 1976
- February 25, 2021
